As Malnutrition Deaths Are Reported and Hunger Grows, Will ‘Famine’ Be Declared in Gaza?
By Doha Madani
Originally published on NBC News.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification and the World Food Program offer a mathematical threshold for what constitutes a famine.
The dictionary defines famine simply as an "extreme scarcity of food," but among world aid agencies addressing food insecurity, it has a much clearer definition and specific guidelines for when to classify a situation as such. According to the IPC, famine is a situation in which starvation and extremely critical levels of acute malnutrition are evident.
"It's a technical term that sort of encapsulates a series of conditions," said Tobias Stillman, Action Against Hunger's director of technical services and innovation. "So very significant food insecurity, meaning people don't have sufficient food to support their physiological need ... so they are both experiencing hunger and physiologically in many cases, compensating for the lack of food."
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About Action Against Hunger
Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 28 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across 55 countries, our 8,900 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good.
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Photo by Fatima Shbair / AP file
